I think that it will be still very much interesting to watch if Real Madrid gets eliminated.They barely managed to qualify against a much weaker Leipzig so if they keep playing like that against City it simply means that they will have a very hard time during such game and most likely they won't come victorious from this encounter.
I don't think Real Madrid is better than last year,quite the opposite I would say and how bad it looks now on Ancelotti that he said no to Mbappe some months ago,he is a player that can make a difference.
Real Madrid's return match against Leipzig was indeed difficult, but it must be remembered that a draw was enough for them to achieve a satisfactory result, and they achieved it. City will definitely be a more difficult opponent than Leipzig, and I do not rule out that for Real it could all end in the quarterfinals. However, these are too strong teams to be confident in any outcome, in a confrontation between such teams, even the factor of luck will be of no small importance.
Indeed, we certainly still remember how the match went, which was so fierce and we didn't want to lose. But again, Real Madrid has blood in the Champions League and it will be very difficult for any team to get rid of them. But the placement will be different when Real Madrid will face Manchester City and maybe that could be the end of their journey this season.
We know how Manchester City is the defending champion and the team that can be avoided the most in the early rounds. But Real Madrid has to face it and I think it will be a challenge for Real Madrid to be able to avenge last season's defeat. Victory will definitely belong to Manchester City but the luck factor will be completely in the hands of Real Madrid, I think so far that is the exact picture.